COMM 150 Final Exam Questions with Correct Answers Graded A+
quasi-experiment - Answers research designs in which researchers have only partial control over their
independent variables ; experiments that have treatments, outcome measures, and experimental units,
but do not use random assignment to create the comparisons from which the threatment-caused
change is inferred (Pelham Ch 10)
person-by-treatment quasi-experiments - Answers designs in which the researcher measures at least
one independent variable and manipulates at least one other independent variable (Pelham Ch 10)
prescreening - Answers measuring the individual-difference variable in a pretest before the laboratory
study (Pelham Ch 10)
extreme groups - Answers groups of people taken from the upper and lower ends of the distribution of
an individual-difference measure (Pelham Ch 10)
median split - Answers creating groups by identifying people in the top or bottom half (Pelham Ch 10)
natural experiments - Answers the experimenter does not use true random assignment at all ; involves
naturally occurring "manipulations" (Pelham Ch 10)
natural groups with experimental treatment design - Answers involves taking two naturally occurring
groups of people and treating them differently in a very precise way (Pelham Ch 10)
comparability - Answers creating comparable and non-overlapping groups so you can easily determine
the effects of each group (Pelham Ch 10)
patching - Answers occurs when a researcher adds new conditions to a study to help establish the size of
a quasi-experimental effect, to test for the influence of conceivable confounds, or both (Pelham Ch 10)
patched-up designs - Answers occur when researchers continually add control groups to a quasi-
experimental design (Pelham Ch 10)
one-group design - Answers all participants are in one group, the group that received the quasi-
experimental treatment (also an example of a pseudo-experiment since there is no control group)
(Pelham Ch 10)
one group pre-test post-test design - Answers a pre-test is added for the experimental group but lacks a
control group (Pelham Ch 10)
posttest-only design with nonequivalent groups - Answers design in which the performance of an
experimental group is compared with that of a nonequivalent control group at the posttest (Pelham Ch
10)
pretest-posttest design with nonequivalent groups - Answers a type of quasi-experimental design in
which the experimental group is compared with a comparable, but not equivalent, control group
(Pelham Ch 10)
, time-series designs - Answers a type of quasi-experimental design in which only one group receives the
intervention; an outcome is measured repeatedly over time (Pelham Ch 10)
internal analysis - Answers psychologists break one or more groups into additional subgroups to test for
subgroup differences that are consistent with the focal theory or with competing theories (Pelham Ch
10)
name-letter effect - Answers the tendency to show a preference for letters in our own name and prefer
stimuli that contain those letters (Pelham Ch 10)
one-way designs - Answers designs that have only a single independent variable (Pelham Ch 11)
multiple-groups design - Answers there is only a single independent variable, but the independent
variable takes on three or more levels (Pelham Ch 11)
factorial designs - Answers designs that have two or more independent variables (Pelham Ch 11)
main effect - Answers the overall effect of an independent variable, averaging across all levels of the
other independent variable(s) (Pelham Ch 11)
interactions - Answers exist when the effect of one independent variable on a dependent variable
depends on the level of a second independent variable (Pelham Ch 11)
ordinal or spreading interaction - Answers when an effect exists at one level of a second independent
variable but is weaker or nonexistent at a different level of the second independent variable (Pelham Ch
11)
disordinal or crossover interaction - Answers occurs when there are no main effects of either
independent variable and when the effects of each independent variable are opposite at different levels
of the other independent variable (Pelham Ch 11)
nonparallel lines - Answers how an interaction appears in line graphs (Pelham Ch 11)
simple effects tests - Answers typically very simple statistical tests (usually t-tests) conducted to see
which specific mean comparisons are significant in their factorial study (Pelham Ch 11)
between-subjects design - Answers designs in which each participant serves in one and only one
condition of an experiment (Pelham Ch 11)
within-subjects or repeated measures designs - Answers each participant serves in more than one
(perhaps all) of the conditions of a study (Pelham Ch 11)
sequence effects - Answers occur when the simple passage of time begins to take its toll on people's
responses (Pelham Ch 11)
carryover effects - Answers occur when people's responses to one stimulus in a study directly influence
their responses to a second stimulus (Pelham Ch 11)
quasi-experiment - Answers research designs in which researchers have only partial control over their
independent variables ; experiments that have treatments, outcome measures, and experimental units,
but do not use random assignment to create the comparisons from which the threatment-caused
change is inferred (Pelham Ch 10)
person-by-treatment quasi-experiments - Answers designs in which the researcher measures at least
one independent variable and manipulates at least one other independent variable (Pelham Ch 10)
prescreening - Answers measuring the individual-difference variable in a pretest before the laboratory
study (Pelham Ch 10)
extreme groups - Answers groups of people taken from the upper and lower ends of the distribution of
an individual-difference measure (Pelham Ch 10)
median split - Answers creating groups by identifying people in the top or bottom half (Pelham Ch 10)
natural experiments - Answers the experimenter does not use true random assignment at all ; involves
naturally occurring "manipulations" (Pelham Ch 10)
natural groups with experimental treatment design - Answers involves taking two naturally occurring
groups of people and treating them differently in a very precise way (Pelham Ch 10)
comparability - Answers creating comparable and non-overlapping groups so you can easily determine
the effects of each group (Pelham Ch 10)
patching - Answers occurs when a researcher adds new conditions to a study to help establish the size of
a quasi-experimental effect, to test for the influence of conceivable confounds, or both (Pelham Ch 10)
patched-up designs - Answers occur when researchers continually add control groups to a quasi-
experimental design (Pelham Ch 10)
one-group design - Answers all participants are in one group, the group that received the quasi-
experimental treatment (also an example of a pseudo-experiment since there is no control group)
(Pelham Ch 10)
one group pre-test post-test design - Answers a pre-test is added for the experimental group but lacks a
control group (Pelham Ch 10)
posttest-only design with nonequivalent groups - Answers design in which the performance of an
experimental group is compared with that of a nonequivalent control group at the posttest (Pelham Ch
10)
pretest-posttest design with nonequivalent groups - Answers a type of quasi-experimental design in
which the experimental group is compared with a comparable, but not equivalent, control group
(Pelham Ch 10)
, time-series designs - Answers a type of quasi-experimental design in which only one group receives the
intervention; an outcome is measured repeatedly over time (Pelham Ch 10)
internal analysis - Answers psychologists break one or more groups into additional subgroups to test for
subgroup differences that are consistent with the focal theory or with competing theories (Pelham Ch
10)
name-letter effect - Answers the tendency to show a preference for letters in our own name and prefer
stimuli that contain those letters (Pelham Ch 10)
one-way designs - Answers designs that have only a single independent variable (Pelham Ch 11)
multiple-groups design - Answers there is only a single independent variable, but the independent
variable takes on three or more levels (Pelham Ch 11)
factorial designs - Answers designs that have two or more independent variables (Pelham Ch 11)
main effect - Answers the overall effect of an independent variable, averaging across all levels of the
other independent variable(s) (Pelham Ch 11)
interactions - Answers exist when the effect of one independent variable on a dependent variable
depends on the level of a second independent variable (Pelham Ch 11)
ordinal or spreading interaction - Answers when an effect exists at one level of a second independent
variable but is weaker or nonexistent at a different level of the second independent variable (Pelham Ch
11)
disordinal or crossover interaction - Answers occurs when there are no main effects of either
independent variable and when the effects of each independent variable are opposite at different levels
of the other independent variable (Pelham Ch 11)
nonparallel lines - Answers how an interaction appears in line graphs (Pelham Ch 11)
simple effects tests - Answers typically very simple statistical tests (usually t-tests) conducted to see
which specific mean comparisons are significant in their factorial study (Pelham Ch 11)
between-subjects design - Answers designs in which each participant serves in one and only one
condition of an experiment (Pelham Ch 11)
within-subjects or repeated measures designs - Answers each participant serves in more than one
(perhaps all) of the conditions of a study (Pelham Ch 11)
sequence effects - Answers occur when the simple passage of time begins to take its toll on people's
responses (Pelham Ch 11)
carryover effects - Answers occur when people's responses to one stimulus in a study directly influence
their responses to a second stimulus (Pelham Ch 11)
